Tokyo/Taito
From World travel guide
Taitō (台東) and Bunkyō (文京) are northeastern districts of Tokyo.
Contents |
Understand
Tell a Tokyoite "downtown" (下町 shitamachi), and he will think of the Taito district: the train station of Ueno, where migrants from the deep north first arrived in their search for a better life, and the temples of Asakusa, once a boomtown full of prostitutes and gangsters but now long since past its prime. Stuck in a low-rent post-war time warp, here Japan's hypermodernity takes a bit of a breather, with such quaint oddities as bustling street markets and even the occasional wooden house.
Get in
Ueno station is the major hub, connecting together northbound Shinkansen passengers with the JR Yamanote line, the subway Ginza and Hibiya lines, and the Keisei trains to Narita.
See
- Asakusa, covered in a separate article, known particularly for Senso-ji Temple (Asakusa Kannon).
- Ueno, covered in a separate article, packed full of museums and Tokyo's best-known cherry blossom viewing spot.
- Asakura Sculpture Hall (朝倉彫塑館 Asakura-chōsōkan). Yanaka 7-18-10, tel. 3821-4549, [1] (Japanese only). Not a "museum" in any traditional sense of the word, this is the former custom-designed residence of scholar and sculptor Fumio Asakura. Built around a lovely garden and packed with art, this is a wonderful place to stroll and contemplate the meaning of life. Admission ¥400, closed Mondays and Fridays.
Do
Bunkyo ward is a nice place to walk, but it can be a tough stroll as this area is famous for a number of slopes. There being 433 slopes in Tokyo, as many as 173 of them are located in this ward. Some are named, and some are not. There stands a plate written its history on each slope. Even if you didn’t know anything about this area, it is fun to know its names. There are many unique names, such as Kaiun-zaka (Good luck slope), Yūrei-zaka (Ghost slope), or Ijin-zaka (Barbarian slope). You can look at these unique names on books, some of which only focus on the slopes.
Buy
Markets
Yanaka (谷中), Nezu (根津) and Sendagi (千駄木) are adjacent low-key commercial and residential neighborhoods full of traditional, quirky little shops, particularly along the very tongue-in-cheek Yanaka Ginza (谷中銀座, [2]) shopping street. The area is best reached on the Metro Chiyoda line to Sendagi or the JR Yamanote Line to Nippori.
- Chaho Kanekichi-en (茶舗金吉園). Yanaka 3-11-10, [3]. An old-school tea shop near the entrance to Yanaka Ginza, just follow the smell of roasting tea. They prepare their own blends, which are uniformly excellent: try the slightly bitter Snow Plum (雪の梅 Yuki-no-Ume, ¥600 per 100g) or the unusual Yanaka Midori (谷中みどり, ¥600-1000 per 100g), a mix of roasted tea stems (the cheapest tea) with tea-ceremony grade matcha (the most expensive tea). Ask to see the private garden and if they're in a good mood they just might let you have a peek.
- Gotō no Ame (後藤の飴). A traditional Japanese candy (ame) shop at the very end of Yanaka Ginza, everything sold here is made on premises and quite cheap (¥100+). Closed Wednesdays.
Malls
- La Qua (ラクーア). Connected to Korakuen station (Marunouchi Line). La Qua is a new shopping mall with some attractions attached. It opened in 2003, replacing the part of Korakuen, a famous amusement park. In La Qua, there are boutiques, a grocery store, restaurants, fast food stores, a hairdresser, or even a massage store. Among all these, the main accommodation is the spa. We can take bath, sit on a comfortable chair and do whatever you like. Note that it is cheaper to spend a night in here than in any hotel.
- Seijo Ishii. A large grocery store in La Qua, a lot of goods like snackes or bottles of wine are imports. There are a lot of goods prepared for companies, and so the packages are pretty big.
Eat
- Nonki (呑気). 1-20-6 Mukōgaoka, near Tōdaimae station. Tokyo's longest-running oden (fish soup) shop, founded in the Meiji era and still going strong. The centerpiece of the small shop is a giant cauldron full of boiling oden goodness. Order with the phrase tekitō-ni to let the chef decide, and figure on ¥1000 for a serve and a beer to wash it down.
- Zakuro [4] , Nishi-Nippori 3-14-13 (3 min. directly west of JR Nippori North Exit), 03-3822-1543. Located in the heart of the traditional Yanaka neighborhood, this Persian/Turkish restaurant goes all-out on the "dining experience": you sit on the carpeted floor, they make you wear middle-eastern garb, and dessert includes a hookah (water-pipe) to puff on! And all the while, the owner wanders from table to table making wisecracks in Japanese. The set dinner course (Y2000) is guaranteed to leave anyone stuffed.
Drink
Sleep
- Sawanoya Ryokan, 2-3-11 Yanaka, Taito-ku (7min walk from Nezu station, 10min taxi from Ueno station), (03)3822 2251 (sawanoya@tctv.ne.jp, fax (03)3822 2252) [5]. Closed Dec 29 - Jan 3. Well-known ryokan, all bedrooms with tatami floors. 2 rooms with bath, the 10 others share two Japanese-style baths and showers. Good neighbourhood to simply wander and look at the houses and gardens. Free internet and LAN points in all rooms. Friendly helpful staff. Single ¥4935-5250 without bathroom, double ¥9240/9870 without/with bath, triple ¥12600/14175 without/with bath.
- Juyoh Hotel, 2-15-3 Kiyokawa, Taito-ku. Phone (03) 3875-5362, Fax (03) 5603-5775, Web: [6]. A 10 minute walk from the Minamisenju station. Very nice cheap hotel, prices ranging from ¥3200 for a single (¥2980 with a discount coupon printable from their web page) to ¥6400 for a double (¥5960 with the same coupon). By using the coupon, one also receives a daily cleaning service for stays more than 2 days. Note that the coupon is valid only for the first twenty nights. Internet access available in the lobby; five PC's and Macs available, and also support for wireless and ethernet laptops.
Learn
The University of Tokyo (東京大学 Tōkyō daigaku, [7]), formerly the Imperial University and still Japan's supremely well-funded Harvard, Yale and MIT all rolled into one, has its main Hongō campus in Bunkyo. Around 2000 foreign students study at the University, but competition for places can be fierce.
Contact
External links
ja:東京/台東 WikiPedia:Taito, Tokyo
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